Abstract
BackgroundTraditional medicine has remained the most affordable and easily accessible source of treatment in the primary healthcare system among communities unable to get modern medication. Ethiopian indigenous people have a long history of traditional plant utilization for treating ailments. The objectives of this study were to identify, document, and analyze the cultural significances of medicinal plants and their associated indigenous knowledge among Guji Semi-Pastoralist People, in Suro Barguda District, West Guji Zone, southern Ethiopia.MethodsSemi-structured interview, focus group discussions, participant observation, and walk-in-the-woods methods were used to gather medicinal plants data. The informant consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (FL) values were calculated using quantitative approaches to check the level of informants' agreement on plant use and the healing potential of medicinal plant species, respectively. Indigenous knowledge of the use of medicinal plants for medicinal purposes among different informant groups was compared using t tests with R software.ResultsA total of 98 medicinal plant species belonging to 87 genera and 48 families were reported to be used for treating human ailments such as gastrointestinal diseases, breathing system diseases, dermatological diseases, and febrile diseases. Family Fabaceae was represented by 10 species followed by Lamiaceae (7 species). Four of the medicinal plants (Bothriocline schimperi Oliver & Hiern ex Bentham, Erythrina brucei Schweinf. emend. Gillett, Lippia adoensis Hochst. ex Walp. var. adoensis, and Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Hochst. ex Baker) were found endemic to Ethiopia and shrubs were more dominant (36 species). Ninety-one medicinal plant species were used for remedy preparation as soon as they were collected in their fresh form; 35.6% herbal medicine preparation was through crushing the plant parts and homogenizing them with cold and clean water; 159 (70.4%) traditional medicinal preparations were reported to be taken in their drinking form (orally).ConclusionThe study indicated that the district is rich in different species of medicinal plants used to treat human ailments and indigenous knowledge about using these resources. Species with the recorded highest consensus for curative purposes are useful sources for further phytochemical and pharmacological validation for better utilization. Declining wild medicinal flora of the area calls for conservation priority.
Highlights
Traditional medicine has remained the most affordable and accessible source of treatment in the primary healthcare system among communities unable to get modern medication
Medicinal plants diversity A total of 98 medicinal plant species belonging to 87 genera and 48 families were reported to be used for treating human ailments in Suro Barguda District (Appendix 1)
Lippia adoensis Hochst. ex Walp. var. adoensis, and Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Hochst. ex Baker, which are all against human ailments were found endemic to Ethiopia
Summary
Traditional medicine has remained the most affordable and accessible source of treatment in the primary healthcare system among communities unable to get modern medication. The objectives of this study were to identify, document, and analyze the cultural significances of medicinal plants and their associated indigenous knowledge among Guji Semi-Pastoralist People, in Suro Barguda District, West Guji Zone, southern Ethiopia. In discussing the many potential uses and ways of interacting with local plants, we anticipated expressing a sense of the value of the study area landscapes with the associated vegetation and respective indigenous knowledge. Indigenous knowledge guides the choices and practices of pastoralists and farmers of many places, and predictably, some 80% of the world’s population fulfills their primary health needs through the use of traditional medicines [4]. The objectives of this study were to identify, document, and analyze the significance of medicinal plants and their associated indigenous knowledge in the preparation and application of the remedies by local people in the study area
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